The New Nation - Internet Edition

EXPECTATION from the people is that the incumbent government would go for preparing and implementing the national pro-poor budget leaving a precedent for elected governments to follow. The government is getting ready to prepare the budget for 2008-9 and inviting suggestions from different quarters to make a better budget.

Every year, the incumbent finance minister of the time seeks to justify the budget as oriented to the needs of the have-nots. For example, the finance minister of the last BNP government went to some lengths in his two successive budget speeches on subsidising agriculture to benefit the poor who remain engaged in farming. So has done the incumbent Finance Minister. But the benefits of agricultural subsidies were not seen fully reaching their intended beneficiaries. No wonder, therefore, that poverty alleviation strategies have not had expected levels of success in several decades.

From the accumulated experiences of the past, it should be well understood why the making of the budget needs to be an exercise free from undue influences of interest groups. If this is not assured, then talks of striving hard for better results in poverty alleviation, will continue to be no more than clichés . The present interim government claiming an apolitical character and professing to work for the good of the common man, would be expected to adopt some policies that would mean not merely talking about the needs of the poor but also take up well conceived plans for the purpose and implement the same. The making of a pro-poor budget also essentially requires the channeling of more funds that would create greater social safety nets for the poor. Spending more from such funds can directly benefit the poor in the form of old age pensions, disaster relief, food for works and the like.